Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The Origins Dragon King’s words further enraged the Earth Dragon King. “The last time, because you were still recovering from your tribulation, and because Shen was still not yet in the Vipralopa Stage, I had no choice but to retreat.”
“Now, you have already recovered fully. Shen too is in the Vipralopa Stage. I have no more qualm. Lin Feng may be strong, but I won’t fear him. The worst that can happen is death.”
“Compared to a cowardly retreat, I will rather battle to the death here!”
The Origins Dragon King predicted the Earth Dragon King’s reaction perfectly. His tone did not change as he continued calmly, “By continuing your struggle now, no one knows if you can avenge Azure Sky. However, the Immortal Dragon City that the humans fashioned from the Ancestral Dragon is still standing.”
The Earth Dragon King’s expression froze. The rage in his eyes burned even stronger, with a tinge of humiliation. It was no longer because of the fate of the Azure Sky Dragon King or himself, but because the existence of the Immortal Dragon City was a humiliation to all dragons.
Underneath the calm of the Origins Dragon King’s voice, one could sense furious undercurrents. “Don’t forget why you left the Black Sea.”
As long as they think about Immortal Dragon City, even the top dragon was infuriated.
The Earth Dragon King stared into the void. The black hole that connected to the Black Sea, from which the Azure Sky Dragon King was supposed to escape from, was still unable due to Zhu Yi, the Earth Dragon King, and the Tiangang Swordmaster. However, it was shrinking and soon, it would come to a still.
Yet, in the depths of the hole, one could see the outline of the Immortal Dragon City, which gradually disappeared into the black hole.
The original soul of this master-less magic treasure was gradually lost in void space.
The power of the black hole was unable to devour or destroy it. The Immortal Dragon City would continue to float aimlessly in void space, like a solitary canoe in the ocean.
Until the original soul reawakened, the drifting would not stop.
Zhu Yi’s gaze fell on the Immortal Dragon City as the Taiji Diagram above his head started to expand. Immediately, all the information about the Immortal Dragon City surfaced in his head.
The information was messy and many. Most were useless. Many, however, required one to be sharp and perceptive to understand it. This allowed Zhu Yi to be the one who currently understood it the best.
A look of realization dawned on his face. “The ceremony caused such a huge change, that’s truly unpredictable…”
The Earth Dragon King suddenly enveloped the Hou Ning Dragon King with his powers and then, he lunged towards the Immortal Dragon City. Zhu Yi noticed him and sought to stop him.
The Tiangang Swordmaster stared directly at the Immortal Dragon City and his gaze flashed too. He too joined the fight.
The battle between the three of them shook the entire void space, slowly destroying the black hole. The Immortal Dragon City gradually sank into it.
The Earth Dragon King roared into the sky and used his Dragon Emperor’s Celestial Roar. It turned into golden soundwaves that spread in all four directions.
Where the soundwaves touched, void space was destroyed once more, causing the Immortal Dragon City to re-appear. The moment the golden soundwaves landed on it, it appeared to be clad in a layer of gold.
However, after Zhu Yi kept silent for a while, he suddenly exhaled. In that breath, it contained the essence of a dragon roar and yet, the air and weightiness of a scholar.
His voice appeared to have solidified. It turned into a white stream of gas flashing with golden light and rose straight into the sky. Like a sharp knife, it sliced the gold soundwaves of the Earth Dragon King apart.
While it was not as omnipresent as the Earth Dragon King’s Dragon Emperor’s Celestial Roar, its powers were highly concentrated. In limited combat, it could affect the Earth Dragon King.
After the soundwaves were disrupted, the Dragon Emperor’s Celestial Roar re-congregated and then, broke the white gas apart. However, the Immortal Dragon City fell once more into the darkness.
However, Zhu Yi was pushed back by the golden soundwave. His body went flying backward and soon, he quickly stabilized himself as he prepared to face the Earth Dragon King once more.
The Earth Dragon King turned his head suddenly and he stared at Zhu Yi with his ice-cold gaze. The rage and killing intent in his eyes were palpable.
He stared at Zhu Yi and the Tiangang Swordmaster for some time. Then, his humongous dragon form moved slightly. he said nothing, and his body suddenly became ethereal. He turned into a ray of golden light and disappeared into the void.
The Earth Dragon King was an Immemorial Celestial Dragon. He contained the supreme principle of the Dao, as well as the space-manipulation abilities of the Ming Dragon. Hence, his escaping abilities were superior to that of many demons.
Battling Zhu Yi and the Tiangang Swordmaster one-on-two could not guarantee him victory. However, if he intended on fleeing, none of them could stop him.
The Tiangang Swordmaster watched as the Earth Dragon King went away. His eyelids fluttered as he sheathed his Tiangang Ancient Sword. Then, he looked down to observe his body and realized that there were many cuts. In the cuts, one could see white light flashing as if someone was bleeding.
“The Qin Emperor Shi Yu has fallen. I wonder if the Great Qin Empire is powerful enough to reclaim the Immortal Dragon City?” The Tiangang Swordmaster’s mouth was closed and he said nothing. However, his supernatural awareness was sweeping through the void.
Zhu Yi and the Higan Golden Bridge currently took the form of a giant. He too turned into a ray of light in the void, which then revealed the outlines of the golden bridge and the Literary Taiji Diagram.
The Yi Taoism Diagram disappeared, and the Literary Taiji Diagram spun in mid-air and he retook his human form. Zhu Yi, standing on top of the Higan Golden Bridge, said, “Very difficult, the imprints of Shi Yu’s mana was etched onto the Immortal Dragon City because of the sudden change in the ceremony. Now that it is lost in the void, it will be very difficult for the Great Qin Empire to find it.”
He stared at the Tiangang Swordmaster and said, “However, the dragons may have an easier time. Just now, the Earth Dragon King’s Dragon Emperor’s Celestial Roar shook the Immortal Dragon City. Traces of his demonic powers are imprinted on top of it and hence, it would not be hard for him to find it with that clue.”
“When the Immortal Dragon City finally settles down and its spiritual energy calms, the Earth Dragon City can find the Immortal Dragon City based on his own trace.”
The Tiangang Swordmaster turned to look at Zhu Yi but he said nothing.
Zhu Yi did not wish to pursue this topic too. Instead, he said to the Tiangang Swordmaster, “Regardless, I have to thank you for your assistance.”
The Tiangang Swordmaster kept silent and said nothing. One could only feel his supernatural awareness trembling in void space. “It’s nothing.”
The Azure Sky Dragon King and the Blazing Flames Dragon King were both slain. The Earth Dragon King and the Hou Ning Dragon King escaped. The other dragons in the Barren Expanses were all forced to retreat. This offered temporary relief for the Great Qin Empire’s cultivators.
Shi Zongmao, faced with a combined attack from the Hou Ning Dragon King and the Ya Yu Grand Sage, could only resist but not retaliate. Now, he watched as the Ya Yu Grand Sage and the other dragons leave.
Then, he noticed that the Ya Yu Grand Sage did not leave with the dragons. This frustrated him greatly and aroused his suspicions.
He racked his brains, but he could not think of the relationship between the Ya Yu and the dragons, or any reason for the Ya Yu to hate the Great Qin Empire.
For Shi Zongmao, at that moment, his main cause of concern was no longer the Ya Yu Grand Sage or the dragons. Instead, it was the stream of bad news.
The Qin Emperor Shi Yu was killed by the dragons and died in battle. The Immortal Dragon City was lost. It was as if half the heavens had collapsed unto the Great Qin Empire. If they did not react to it properly, the other half may come crashing down too.
For the Great Qin Empire at this very moment, they were treading a very fine line between survival and extinction. If they weren’t careful, they would be met with the latter.
Shi Zongmao himself was heavily injured and he could not longer battle. For him, the most important thing to do was to gather the other cultivators of the Great Qin and bring them back to the Divine Lands, back into the capital of the Great Qin Empire, Xiling City.
Prince Nanming, Shi Zongtang, who guarded Xiling City, had already sent other cultivators to the inter-world passage in the Southern Wilderness to receive them.
The Great Qin Empire, which was at its most glorious moment not so long ago as they had managed to fight their way into the Barren Expanses, was now at its most perilous situation where their very survival could not be guaranteed.
Zhu Yi and the Tiangang Swordmaster did not try to venture deeper into the Barren Expanses. Instead, they started to gather the cultivators of the Celestial Sect of Wonders and Mount Shu. Temporarily, they retreated into the Divine Lands too. At the Southern Wilderness, they observed the changes in the Barren Expanses.
What kept them on their toes was the fact that while the Earth Dragon King had left, there was another Immemorial Celestial Dragon. Formerly known as Yellow Plains Dragon King, he took the name Shen Dragon King upon attaining the status of the Immemorial Celestial Dragon. He too left the Black Sea and was upon the Barren Expanses.
While no one could track his path, nor was there any indication that he was camping around this particular inter-world passage, there would occasionally be news that he was doing just that.
While the Earth Dragon King had returned to rest in the Black Sea, another Vipralopa Stage dragon took his place.
Compared to the explosive Earth Dragon King, the Shen Dragon King was much calmer. Like a huge mountain, he caused others to feel immense, yet dull, pressure.
The Shen Dragon King did not do anything, and his very actions were hard to predict. However, he would occasionally reveal his existence, forcing Zhu Yi and the Tiangang Swordmaster to stay alert. The battle was in a stalemate for now.
As Zhu Yi, the Tiangang Swordmaster, and the Great Qin Empire battled against the dragons, Lin Feng, who was on the Lingyuan Mountains, started to move too.
At this moment, Lin Feng was no longer on top of Mount Yujing. Instead, he was inside the Heavenly Cosmic Ray World on top of the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree. As long as he did not commence his closed-door training, he could react to everything that was going outside.
He sat on top of a mini Black Heavenly Treasure Tree and his gaze was clear. He was thinking about the situation at hand.
The return of the Hades Tribe to the Grand Celestial World was bad news for the humans.
The current situation did not allow Lin Feng to remain in the Lingyuan Mountains. He had to return to the Divine Lands. If not, the Hades Tribe could turn the Divine Lands upside-down.
The Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage, the Heavenly Charms Grand Sage, and the Crimson Gorilla Grand Sage were all very clear about the situation. Hence, they did not try to stop Lin Feng from leaving. Neither would they battle to the death with Lin Feng over the Hades Tribe.
When Lin Feng returned to the Divine Lands to take care of the Hades Tribe, there would be no one to stop them from doing what they wanted.
Just as the Heavenly Grandmaster Grand Sage thought about this, Lin Feng’s voice sounded from the top of Mount Yujing, “You lot seem happy.”
“For you, there’s nothing to be happy. I am leaving this spot. I can leave, but not you!”
With that, a stream of light flew out from the Heavenly Cosmic Ray World and shone on top of Mount Yujing.